Andre Agassi, 36, hopes for a long goodbye as he enters the final tournament -- the U.S. Open, which begins Monday in New York -- of an extraordinary tennis career highlighted by 60 singles titles, eight Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal. Andre Agassi celebrates his victory over Todd Martin in the 1999 U.S. Open final. Photo by The Associated Press.

How do you say goodbye -- when it all has meant so much?

For Andre Agassi, it won't be easy. When the 36-year-old Las Vegan leaves the tennis court for the last time at the U.S. Open, which begins Monday in New York, he'll not only be closing the book on a remarkable 20-year career decorated with 60 singles titles, eight Grand Slam championships, three Davis Cups and Olympic gold, he'll be ending an era of American men's tennis that might never be replicated.

Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang all arrived in the late 1980s and combined to win 181 tournaments, including 26 Grand Slam titles. Courier retired in 1999, Sampras followed in 2002 and Chang put away his racket in 2003.

Now, Agassi prepares to join them on the sidelines.

"I try not to think too much about it, but you can't help but reflect," said Agassi, who will face Romania's Andrei Pavel in his first match Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. "You want all good things to last forever. Who doesn't? But you have to say goodbye at some point."

Agassi wants to leave the game with his dignity intact. He doesn't want to be Willie Mays stumbling around center field in Shea Stadium as a New York Met. Or Bobby Orr trying to rush up the ice on one leg for the Chicago Blackhawks. Or any number of boxers who got punished in the ring long after their skills had dramatically eroded.

Agassi could have departed after last year's dramatic run at the U.S. Open. He reached the final and gave Roger Federer all he could handle before the Swiss star finally finished him off in four sets. But in his heart Agassi believed he still had enough left to play at what he likes to call "a high standard."

Had he been healthy in 2006, maybe he would have been proven right. Instead, because of a balky back, which has troubled him for three years, Agassi finally decided to listen to his body.

"It's time," he said of his retirement decision, which he announced in June a couple of days before Wimbledon. "There's been a lot of factors. It has been a real tiring year -- one step forward, two steps back. In my own heart, my tennis isn't my best. I thought I'd have one more good run in me after the way I finished so strong last year. But I've had to go through a lot to stretch it out the last four years."

Agassi, who for years has cocooned himself inside a small, loyal circle of family and friends, didn't bounce the idea of retirement off them. This call, the biggest one of his professional life, was all his own.

"This was my decision," he said. "When I knew, I'd let everyone know."

So he has.

As Agassi prepares to leave the court for the last time, he'll exit with no regrets. He appreciates the people who chanted "One more year!" as he competed in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., this summer. But he has undergone enough cortisone injections in the past couple of years to know the pain isn't worth enduring beyond a possible two-week run at Flushing Meadows. Nor is it worth the time spent away from his children -- son Jaden, who turns 5 in October, and daughter Jaz, who turns 3 the same month.

"It's hard to leave your children the older they get," Agassi said.

He'll have plenty of time to spend with them. Whether it's taking them to school or camp, going shopping for books at Barnes & Noble or treating them to drinks at the Starbucks near their Summerlin home, Agassi is excited about the next chapter in his life.

His transition into normalcy has been going on for a while. When he, wife Steffi Graf -- winner of a staggering 22 Grand Slam titles in her own illustrious career -- and the kids go shopping for groceries at Whole Foods, they're ordinary customers. When Agassi wants that morning Frappuccino at Starbucks, he drives himself, stands in line like everyone else and waits for his drink. He is a celebrity around the world, but in Summerlin, he's just another guy with a nice car looking for a parking spot and a 16-ounce caffeine wake-up call.

And that's the way he likes it. As he sits and talks on the patio outside Starbucks, no one approaches him. They know who he is, yet they respect his privacy. No autograph requests. No one snapping his photo on a cell phone and posting it on the Internet 10 minutes later. To the baristas inside Starbucks, Agassi is known as "Andrew." Says so right on his cup in black ink.

He'll no doubt get to reminisce in the months ahead about an amazing career, one with many highs and a few lows, that surely has left a permanent mark on his sport.

"I really think it was one of the strongest eras we've ever had (in American tennis)," said Sampras, who lives in Southern California, is married to actress Bridgette Wilson and played World Team Tennis this summer for the Newport Beach Breakers. "We pushed each other. Andre forced me to develop my game. Things I could get away with against other guys, I couldn't when I played Andre.

"Andre based his game on movement. He had great hand-eye coordination. As he got older, he became a better competitor. He developed a better serve and he was always a great returner of serve. I felt I had to be at my best whenever I played him."

Courier, who defeated Agassi in the 1991 French Open finals, said Agassi's sense of responsibility on and off the court left a lasting impression on him.

"The word that applies to Andre, as a player and a man, is 'transformation,' " said Courier, who lives in New York and is an analyst for USA Network's tennis coverage. "It's impossible to know where people will end up in life, but what has been rewarding for him and for tennis fans is to watch him mature in front of our eyes.

"When you see what he has done with his game, the way he works at his tennis and what he's done off the court with his foundation and his school, there's a real sense of responsibility, both to the game and to the community."

Agassi's charitable efforts through his foundation have rubbed off on Chang, who has formed his own Christian ministry in Southern California. He said it's hard to exactly place Agassi in the pantheon of American tennis greats, but the former Henderson resident said Agassi is definitely in the discussion.

"It's difficult to say where he rates," Chang said. "But to not put him up near the top means you don't know tennis. He will go down as one of the greatest to play the game.

"Andre was gifted. God gave him a special talent. He brought a lot of flair and charisma to the sport, and as he got older, he made better use of that talent."

Courier said: "Andre is definitely in the conversation of greatest players of all time. He has the complete resume."

Collectively, the four contemporaries gave tennis in the United States high visibility. Todd Martin, a talented player in that era who never won a Grand Slam, said Agassi's ability to reinvent himself as a player had a lasting impact on him.

"The fact he regrouped and rededicated himself as a tennis player is what impresses me the most," Martin said. "He came back so much more mature."

Martin learned that the hard way when he played Agassi in the final of the 1999 U.S. Open. They went the distance, but Agassi was a little better. Agassi had already resurrected his career, having fallen to No. 141 in the ATP Tour computer rankings in 1997 only to climb back to No. 1 earlier in the summer after winning the French Open. Now, he was battling on every point, never giving in.

"I remember every time I played him I didn't look forward to it," Martin said. "I knew I had to serve well, but in the Open final in '99, I couldn't break him in five sets. No matter how well I played, how well I served, he had an answer for me."

Sampras, who won a legendary four-set quarterfinal over Agassi in the 2001 Open in which each set went to a tiebreaker, said their mutual respect resulted in some classic moments.

"Our games were really different and our personalities were different," Sampras said. "Whenever I walked out there against Andre, it was different than playing someone like (Boris) Becker, (Michael) Stich or (Stefan) Edberg. There was a little more on it, both of us being Americans and No. 1 and 2 in the world. It was a great rivalry, probably the best the sport has had the last 10, 15 years.

"I think the tennis we played against each other was some of the best tennis ever. We both respected one another. There wasn't an ill will toward one another. As competitive as it was, I think we handled it really well."

Sampras remembers the 2001 quarterfinal match at Arthur Ashe Stadium as a surreal moment.

"It seemed like everything stopped," he said, recalling the countless standing ovations he and Agassi received. "I was able to step back and say, 'Wow, this is really cool.' It was like being at a championship fight in Vegas."

The friendly, intense rivalry between Agassi and Sampras helped transcend the sport among the public. People who might not normally follow tennis would tune in when Agassi and Sampras met on the court. Now with Agassi preparing to leave the stage, the United States Tennis Association hopes those who don't regularly follow the sport will tune in to watch Agassi's last hurrah.

There will be sellout crowds to greet Agassi for however long he plays in the U.S. Open, and he'll be riding a huge wave of emotion with the support of everyone in the cavernous 20,000-seat venue -- except, that is, for family and friends of his opponent.

"New York has taught me so much," Agassi said, reflecting on what he can expect at Flushing Meadows. "How do you summarize 20 years of your life in a few words?

"I'm at an age where I can take it all in. But it's a tough position to be in -- being in the lens of taking it all in, yet you're focused on trying to play your best."

Agassi said the U.S. Open is the right place for him to leave. He opted not to have one final cortisone shot, hoping the rest he has had -- he last played Aug. 1 in Washington -- along with the adrenaline rush he expects from the crowd will allow him to play pain free.

"That's my home turf," he said of playing his last match in the United States, as opposed to Wimbledon. "That's where I figured it's best to end. I've had some of my best memories there, and I feel like I grew up in front of the New York fans. Playing there helped me grow up, personally and professionally. It made me a better person and a better tennis player."

Agassi will have plenty to do after he leaves the court for the last time. In addition to spending more time with his family, he's going to be more active in his self-named foundation. His annual fundraiser, the Grand Slam for Children, is set for Oct. 7 at the MGM Grand Garden. The event, which began in 1995, has raised $52 million.

Agassi also wants to continue to do more for his west Las Vegas prep school, Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy, which now goes from kindergarten through grade 12, and also his Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Both have been funded through money raised from the Grand Slam for Children.

Agassi also will remain involved in his numerous business ventures. He's a spokesman for 24 Hour Fitness and Genworth Financial and will continue his deals with adidas sportswear, Penn tennis balls and Head rackets. He's also helping to develop a hotel at Tamarack Resort, 90 miles north of Boise, Idaho, is part owner of four National Basketball Developmental League teams and has invested in several restaurants owned by renowned chef Michael Mina.

Also, in his newest venture, Agassi and Graf are designing a line of contemporary home furniture for Kreiss Furniture that will be sold internationally.

As for tennis, although Agassi is walking away from the ATP Tour and the excitement and glamour of Grand Slam events, he has never ruled out playing exhibitions or similar events. He and Graf have played Team Tennis, so if Las Vegas were to someday get a franchise -- perhaps with the two former stars as owners-players -- might that interest him?

"I never gave it any thought until now," he said. "I'd like to stay part of the game. I've grown to love this sport. It's in my blood. If there's a way I can stay involved, I will."

Courier said he thinks Agassi somehow will be involved in pro tennis, perhaps as a TV commentator, even as a promoter.

"He's got great ambition, and with his iconic personality, I don't think he'll pull a Greta Garbo (and avoid the public)," Courier said.

No matter what Agassi does at the U.S Open, his place in tennis history is cemented. His place among the all-time greats can be debated, but there's no argument about what his departure means to the sport in this country. He forever will be linked to the game's greatest generation. Arriving on the scene in 1987, Agassi was the first of what some regard as U.S. tennis' "Fab Four." Now, he is the last to retire.

"I have the feeling like we're graduating from school and he was our sole survivor," Courier said. "I admit that I have lived vicariously through him the last few years. I've rooted hard for him. It was a special time, and now it's coming to a close."

AGASSI'S CAREER TITLES

A list of Andre Agassi's 60 career professional tournament championships:

Year Tournament

1987 -- Itaparica

1988 -- Memphis, Charleston, Forest Hills, Stuttgart Outdoor, Stratton Mountain, Livingston

1989 -- Orlando

1990 -- San Francisco, Miami, Washington, D.C., ATP World Championship (Frankfurt)

1991 -- Orlando, Washington, D.C.

1992 -- Atlanta, Wimbledon, Toronto

1993 -- San Francisco, Scottsdale

1994 -- Scottsdale, Toronto, U.S. Open, Vienna, Paris

1995 -- Australian Open, San Jose, Miami, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Cincinnati, New Haven

1996 -- Miami, Olympic Games (Atlanta), Cincinnati

1998 -- San Jose, Scottsdale, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Ostraval

1999 -- Hong Kong, French Open, Washington, D.C., U.S. Open, Paris

2000 -- Australian Open

2001 -- Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Los Angeles

2002 -- Scottsdale, Miami, Roma, Los Angeles, Madrid

2003 -- Australian Open, San Jose, Miami, Houston

2004 -- Cincinnati

2005 -- Los Angeles

SOURCE: ATP Tour